Sealed enclosure power control system

ABSTRACT

A sealed enclosure power control system for controlling power to an electrical component within an enclosure. The sealed enclosure power control system generally includes an electrical component within the sealed enclosure, a first connector on the sealed enclosure adapted to provide a sealed electrical interface to the electrical component. The first connector has at least one first connector conductor element, and the system further includes a battery within the sealed enclosure, and the system also has a second connector, wherein when the first connector and the second connector are connected together, electrical power from the battery is applied to the electrical component, and when the first connector and the second connector are not connected together, the electrical power is not applied to the electrical component.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/130,652 filed on Dec. 22, 2020 which issues as U.S. Pat. No.11,550,378 on Jan. 10, 2023, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/955,382 filed Dec. 30, 2019. Each of theaforementioned patent applications is herein incorporated by referencein their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND Field

Example embodiments in general relate to a sealed enclosure powercontrol system that allows for different properties to be sensed, withan environmentally sealed and configurable unit.

Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Wireless sensors within sealed enclosures are used throughoutcommercial, industrial, medical, and military applications. In currentdesigns, a different sensor (and enclosure) needs to be used in theevent a new sensing function is to be monitored. For example, inexisting wireless designs, a battery powered temperature sensor cannotbe easily reconfigured to be a vehicle powered humidity sensor withoutmajor modification. To monitor a new parameter, a different wirelesssensor in its own sealed enclosure must be implemented.

In many applications, having the electronics of the wireless sensorencased in a sealed enclosure is desired. Having a sealed case prohibitsdust, debris, moisture, or other contaminants from contacting sensitivecircuits, components, or connectors that may compromise the reliabilityor longevity of the sensor.

However, completely sealing the electronics can present problems. Notbeing able to access the electronics hinders the ability to change thefunctionality of the system or the wireless sensor. If the system iscompletely sealed, then simple features (such as an on/off switch) arecomplicated, as the switch must be completely sealed through its fullrange of motion and across all extremes of environmental conditions. Anideal scenario allows ease of functionality change and to turn on/turnoff the device without compromising the hermetic seal of the enclosure.

SUMMARY

An example embodiment is directed to a sealed enclosure power controlsystem. The sealed enclosure power control system includes an electricalcomponent within a sealed enclosure, a first connector on the sealedenclosure adapted to provide a sealed electrical interface to theelectrical component, the first connector comprising at least one firstconnector conductor element, and a battery within the sealed enclosure,the battery being electrically coupled to the at least one firstconnector conductor element.

The system also comprises a second connector, the second connectoradapted to be removably connected to the first connector, the secondconnector comprising at least one second connector conductor elementcorresponding to the at least one first connector conductor element,wherein when the first connector and the second connector are connectedtogether, an electrical power from the battery is applied to theelectrical component and wherein when the first connector and the secondconnector are not connected together, the electrical power is notapplied to the electrical component.

In some example embodiments, the electrical power is applied from thebattery to a first conductor element of the first connector, and isfurther routed through a first conductor element of the second connectorto a second conductor element of the second connector such that theelectrical power is applied to a corresponding second conductor elementof the first connector. However, the electrical power may be applied orrouted through other means. As just one possible example, a conductorelement of the first connector may have two separate leads, such thatwhen a pin-type conductor element of the second connector is inserted,the two leads of the conductor element of the first connector areconnected together. This type of conductor element may be similar to amulti-element component like those used where multiple electricalconnections are made using a single pin or plug with multiple conductors(e.g., ring and tip). In such embodiments, the first connector comprisesa means for applying the electrical power from the battery to theelectrical component when the first connector and the second connectorare connected together.

In some example embodiments, the first connector comprises a pluralityof conductor elements, and the second connector comprises a plurality ofconductor elements that typically correspond to the elements of thefirst connector. It is possible for at least one of the plurality ofconductor elements of the first connector to be usable to identify atype of sensor that provides a signal to the electrical component viathe second connector and the first connector. It is also possible formultiple conductor elements to identify the type of sensor that is used,such that many sensor types can be used with the system withoutmodification to any circuitry or component within the sealed enclosure.Further, at least one of the plurality of conductor elements of thefirst connector can receive a signal from a sensor that is connected tothe second connector, and the signal may be provided to the electricalcomponent.

The electrical component within the sealed enclosure may comprise amicroprocessor and a non-transitory computer readable recordable mediumcontaining one or more programs executable by the microprocessor whichwhen executed implement the steps of: 1) receiving the identification ofthe type of sensor that is coupled to the second connector; 2) receivinga signal from a sensor that is coupled to the second connector; and 3)transmitting the sensor type and a data value that represents the signalto an external receiver. Further, in such an example system, the one ormore programs when executed may further implement the step ofdetermining the data value from the signal from the sensor based on thesensor type. The electrical power can be provided to the microprocessorand the non-transitory computer readable recordable medium when thefirst connector and the second connector are connected together.

A method of using the power control system may also be performed,comprising the steps of: 1) providing the electrical power to theelectrical component by connecting the first connector to the secondconnector; 2) providing a signal from a sensor having a sensor type tothe first connector via the second connector; 3) generating, in theelectrical component, a data value corresponding to the signal; and 4)transmitting the data value to an external receiver. In carrying out theforegoing method, generating the data value may comprise using a sensortype determined by an address value on at least one second connectorconductor element, or on a plurality of conductor elements.

The sensor may be coupled to the second connector such that the signalfrom the sensor is provided to the first connector from the secondconnector when the first connector and the second connector areconnected together. In carrying out the method, the electrical power canbe applied from the battery to a first conductor element of the firstconnector, and is further routed through a first conductor element ofthe second connector to a second conductor element of the secondconnector, such that the electrical power is applied to a correspondingsecond conductor element of the first connector.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the embodiments ofthe sealed enclosure power control system in order that the detaileddescription thereof may be better understood, and in order that thepresent contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There areadditional embodiments of the sealed enclosure power control system thatwill be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter ofthe claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at leastone embodiment of the sealed enclosure power control system in detail,it is to be understood that the sealed enclosure power control system isnot limited in its application to the details of construction or to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The sealed enclosure power control systemis capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried outin various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription given herein below and the accompanying drawings, whereinlike elements are represented by like reference characters, which aregiven by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of theexample embodiments herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sealed enclosure in accordance with anexample embodiment of a sealed enclosure power control system.

FIG. 2 is a sensor assembly usable with a sealed enclosure power controlsystem in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a sealed enclosure power controlsystem in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view of a sealed enclosure in accordance with anexample embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a sealed enclosure power control system inaccordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a sealed enclosure power control system inaccordance with an alternative example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an electrical component that wouldtypically be within a sealed enclosure power control system inaccordance with an example embodiment.

A. OVERVIEW

An example sealed enclosure power control system 100 generally includesan electrical component 140 within a sealed enclosure 101, a firstconnector 110 on the sealed enclosure 101 adapted to provide a sealedelectrical interface to the electrical component 140 within theenclosure 101.

The first connector 110 will typically have at least one first connectorconductor element 112, and may have multiple conductor elements, thefunction of which will be described in detail herein. The firstconnector 110 is attached to the sealed enclosure 101 so that the firstconnector conductor element(s) 112 are externally exposed from thesealed enclosure 101 as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The system alsoincludes a battery 150 within the sealed enclosure 101, the battery 150being electrically coupled to the at least one first connector conductorelement 112.

The system may also include a second connector 120, the second connector120 adapted to be removably connected to the first connector 110, andlike the first connector 110, the second connector 120 will typicallyinclude at least one second connector conductor element 122, and usuallywill include a plurality of conductor elements 122. The conductorelements 112 and 122 may either be male or female types (e.g., pins orsockets), interchangeably. In addition, each or any conductor element112, 122 may have or comprise multiple connections. For example, as witha multi-conductor audio plug, a female socket on first connector 110 mayhave multiple, electrically isolated contact points, such that a circuitor connection between the two points is completed when a pin from secondconnector 120 is mated with it.

Each conductor element 122 of the second connector corresponds to asimilar, mating element 112 of the first connector 110, such that whenthe first connector 110 and the second connector 120 are connectedtogether, each corresponding conductor is conductively coupled to acorresponding conductor in its mating connector. Further, electricalpower from the battery 150 is in some example embodiments, applied tothe electrical component 140 when the first connector 110 and the secondconnector 120 are connected together, and the electrical power isremoved when the first connector 110 and the second connector 120 arenot connected together. In such cases, the conductive path may becompleted by a connection between two conductor elements 122 on thesecond connector 120, or otherwise within a sensor assembly 130—the onlyrequirement being that one element is connected electrically to anotherwhen the two connectors 110, 120 are connected together.

The electrical power in such an embodiment can be applied from thebattery to a first conductor element 112 of the first connector 110, andis further routed through a corresponding first conductor element 122 ofthe second connector 120 to a second conductor element 122 of the secondconnector such that the electrical power is applied to a correspondingsecond conductor element of the first connector. In simplified terms,there may be a particular conductor element on the first connector 110that has no power when the second connector 120 is not connected to thefirst connector 120. Then, when the second connector 120 is connected tothe first connector 110, power is routed through a connection betweenconductor elements on the second connector 120 to apply power to theparticular conductor element. The electrical power is thus provided toelectrical component 140, and any other associated, optional, or desiredcircuitry or components within the sealed enclosure 101.

Notably, the electrical power may also be applied or routed toelectrical component 140 through other means. As just one possibleexample, a conductor element 112 of the first connector 110 may have twoseparate leads, such that when a pin-type conductor element 122 of thesecond connector 120 is inserted, the two leads of the conductor element112 of the first connector 110 are connected together. This type ofconductor element may be similar to a multi-element component like thoseused where multiple electrical connections are made using a single pinor plug with multiple conductors (e.g., “ring and tip”). In suchembodiments, the first connector 110 comprises a means for applying theelectrical power from the battery 150 to the electrical component 140when the first connector 110 and the second connector 120 are connectedtogether.

In some example embodiments, the first connector 110 comprises aplurality of conductor elements 112, and the second connector 120 alsocomprises a plurality of conductor elements 122 that typicallycorrespond to the elements of the first connector 110, as describedabove. It is possible for at least one of the plurality of conductorelements of the first connector 110 to be usable to identify a type ofsensor 132 that provides a signal to the electrical component 140 viathe second connector 120 and the first connector 110. It is alsopossible for multiple conductor elements 112 to carry signals used toidentify or signify the type of sensor 132 that is used or connected tothe sealed enclosure 101, such that many different sensor types can beused with the system 100 without modification to any circuitry orcomponent within the sealed enclosure 101. Further, at least one of theplurality of conductor elements 112 of the first connector 110 canreceive a signal from a sensor 132 that is connected to the secondconnector 120, and the signal may be provided to the electricalcomponent 140. The sensor 132 may be a simple sensor, such as athermocouple, or it may be any other type, such as a more complextransducer that requires a power input, which may be provided from theelectrical component 140 through an electrical interface, such as theinterface from the first connector to the second connector.

The electrical component 140 within the sealed enclosure 101 maycomprise a microprocessor 141 and a non-transitory computer readablerecordable medium 143 containing one or more programs executable by themicroprocessor 141 which when executed implement the steps of: 1)receiving the identification of the type of sensor that is coupled tothe second connector; 2) receiving a signal from a sensor that iscoupled to the second connector; and 3) transmitting the sensor type anda data value that represents the signal to an external receiver 160, viareceiving antenna 162. Further, in such an example system, the one ormore programs when executed may further implement the step ofdetermining the data value from the signal from the sensor 132 based onthe sensor type. The electrical power can be provided to themicroprocessor 141 and the non-transitory computer readable recordablemedium 143 when the first connector 110 and the second connector 120 areconnected together.

The microprocessor 141 may provide data and/or signals to antenna 145such that a communication link 147 may carry data representative of avalue from the sensor 132 to an external receiver 160. The format ofsuch a signal may be any typical format, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, or anyproprietary or usable communications format.

B. SEALED ENCLOSURE

In many applications, having the electronics of a wireless sensor systemencased in a sealed enclosure, such as enclosure 101, is desired. Suchan enclosure 101 is shown, for example, in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 , as wellas depicted in block form in FIGS. 5 and 6 . In this case, a wirelesssensor system simply refers to a sensor system that is not necessarilyconnected to the ultimate destination of a transducer or sensor signalby a wire. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the enclosure 101 is remotefrom, and not connected by wire, to a remote, external receiver 160. Thesealed enclosure 101 may have various shapes and dimensions along withone or more interior spaces.

Wireless sensors are used throughout commercial, industrial, medical,and military applications. In current designs, entirely separate sensorsystems are needed whenever a new environmental parameter is to bemonitored. For example, in some existing wireless designs, a batterypowered temperature sensor system cannot be easily reconfigured to be avehicle-powered humidity sensor system without major modification. Thus,having a sealed case prohibits dust, debris, moisture, or othercontaminants from contacting sensitive circuits, components, orconnectors that may compromise the reliability or longevity of thesensor system, but may make changing configurations difficult.

The sealed enclosure 101, by itself, eliminates the environmentalproblems noted above. As shown, it is hermetically sealed, and its onlyinterface is a sealed connector, such as first connector 110. Thus, whena mating connector is installed on first connector 110, the entirepackage is sealed and impervious to dust, debris, moisture, etc. Themost sensitive parts of the system 100 are enclosed within the sealedinterior space of the sealed enclosure 101. These include a battery 150or other power source, and an electrical component 140, which mayfurther include a microprocessor 141, a memory 143, and any other activeor passive components or circuits needed or desired to make the system100 work. The battery 150, or any other power source, as describedbelow, may typically provide electrical power selectively to theelectrical component 140 at power input 142 of the component, as shownfor example in FIGS. 5 and 6 .

As just one example, electrical component 140 may be or comprise aprinted circuit board with the above-mentioned components on it.Further, the electrical component 140 may be functionally andstructurally connected to the inside part of first connector 110. Forexample, as is well-known, the portion of first connector 110 insidesealed enclosure 101 may have conductor elements that are directlysoldered or otherwise connected to the printed circuit board, providingthe electrical connections shown, for example, in FIGS. 5 and 6 .

The first connector 110 may have a specific connector pin assignmentthat allows the system 100 to be easily reconfigured. For example, thefollowing are possible pin assignments: Battery connection, where thepositive terminal of the battery or batteries is connected. Thisconnection may be supplied to a powered transducer or sensor, and mayalso be looped back through the second connector 120 to another pin onthe first connector 110, such that when the two connectors are mated,power is selectively applied to a pin or conductor element 112 of thefirst connector 110; Power supply, where the power supply to the activeand passive components of the electrical component or any circuitrywithin the sealed enclosure 101 is connected; Negative batteryconnection, which may also be the negative terminal of the battery andalso the negative connection of the electrical component 140, and anyactive and passive components of the system; Address pins, used toprovide a definition of the sensor or transducer connected on the secondconnector 120; Serial communication, for a serial protocol forsophisticated external transducers; and Analog connections, forconnection of simple sensors or transducers. Exemplary connections andpin assignments are shown, for example, in FIGS. 5-6 . Note that theconnection from sensor 132 may be serial or analog.

C. SENSOR ASSEMBLY

As best shown in FIGS. 2-3 , and schematically in FIGS. 5 and 6 , thesystem 100 may include or use a sensor assembly 130, which may typicallycomprise a transducer or sensor 132, connector 120, and a tether orcable 124 that may mechanically and electrically couple or connect thetransducer or sensor to the second connector 120. As an alternative, thesensor assembly may not have or need an elongated cable such as cable124, and may instead use a sensor 132 that is contained in or part ofsecond connector 120, the sensor 132 in such case possibly having anexposed portion. To extend the reach of sensor 132, it is not necessaryfor all connections within or to the second connector 120 to be madenear the sensor 132. In such cases, the sensor 132 may include a smallersensor cable 128 is indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6 .

For example, in some applications it may be acceptable to sensetemperature, humidity, pressure, etc. with a small portion of sensor 132exposed beyond the housing of second connector 120. If so, the cable ortether can be eliminated, and the system can operate satisfactorily withjust a compact, self-contained second connector, which, as discussedherein, functions as an on/off switch and to signal or inform theelectrical component 140 within the sealed enclosure 101 regarding thetype of sensor 132 that is plugged in and being used to provide a signalor data to the electrical component 140.

As also discussed previously, the both the first connector 110 and thesecond connector 120 can be sealing or sealed connectors, such that whenthey are mated together, the entire system 100 is sealed and imperviousto the elements and environmental conditions. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second connector 120 may have wiring connections within it, suchas power connection 126, which serves to provide power from one pin orconductor element 112 of the first connector to another pin or conductorelement 112 of the first connector, but only when the two connectors areconnected together. As shown in FIG. 5 , the connection from thepositive output of the battery 150 is connected to a conductor element112 of the first connector, but not to any other element or component.However, this is not critical, as the battery 150, or other power sourcewithin sealed enclosure 101, may be connected to any element orcomponent as necessary, such as to provide a low level of power, whilemaintaining the functionality shown, wherein the battery 150 onlyprovide primary (or high-level) power through second connector 120.

Various types of sensors 132 can be used with the system, with theirfunction and characteristics being indicatable by address lines 131. Theaddress lines 131 may be hard-wired within second connector 120, withvoltage levels on any number of conductor elements being used asaddresses that indicate the connector type that is mated or coupled tothe second connector 120. As a specific example, a low voltage (i.e.,logic low) may be applied to a number of conductor elements 122 of thesecond connector 120 through a negative connection from the battery 150or circuitry within the sealed enclosure 101.

In addition to providing power to electrical component 140 from battery150, the second connector 120 may be connected to an external powersource 166, as shown for example in FIG. 6 . The external power source166 could be connected to the cable, tether, or otherwise to the secondconnector 120 to supply power to any component or components withinsealed enclosure 101, such as electrical component 140, in lieu of or inaddition to the battery 150 within the enclosure. The external powersource 166 may be connected to the second connector 120 via its owncable 129. By way of non-limiting example, such external power sources166 could include a grid power connection, an external battery powerconnection, an external vehicle power connection, an external solarpower connection, an external wind power connection, or any otherexternal power connection. To implement this, the desired external powerconnection will be physically wired to the power supply connection onthe tether with the corresponding battery power connection. Therefore,when the cable 124 or second connector 120 is connected to the firstconnector 110, the power supply of the sealed enclosure is physicallyconnected to the external power supply, with both positive and negativeconnections being available, as shown. Also, as with the case when theinternal battery 150 is used, any of the positive or negative leads maybe wired to the address lines to provide an address that corresponds tothe type of sensor 132, or any other parameters of the system or thesensor assembly 130, and even the type of power supply.

D. MICROPROCESSOR

The system—specifically, the electrical component 140, may utilizeeither analog and digital circuitry, or may use a microprocessor 141, amemory bus, a memory 143, which may be volatile or nonvolatile, randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), or the like, and aperipheral bus to process and transmit signals, data values, etc. Evenif a microprocessor 141 is used, the electrical component may includeadditional analog and digital circuitry, as may be needed to readaddress lines, logic conditions, supply power to, and receive analogsignals from the sensor 132, or a transducer, etc. The microprocessormay be a general-purpose digital processor that controls the operationof the electrical component. The microprocessor can be a single-chipprocessor or it may be implemented with multiple components. Usinginstructions retrieved from memory 143, the microprocessor 141essentially becomes a special-purpose microprocessor that controls thereception and manipulations of input data and the output andtransmission of data on output devices, such as a WiFi transmitter andan antenna 147. The memory bus is utilized by the microprocessor 141 toaccess any memory devices 143, such as RAM and ROM. RAM is used bymicroprocessor 141 as a general storage area and as scratch-pad memory,and can also be used to store input data and processed data.

ROM can be used to store instructions or program code followed bymicroprocessor 141 as well as other data. A peripheral bus is used toaccess the input, output and storage devices used by the computer. Themicroprocessor can be used as shown in FIG. 7 , to ultimatelycommunicate (e.g., directly or indirectly, through peripherals) with anexternal receiver 160 via communication link 147, transmitted betweenantennas 145 and 162, so that the data provided by sensor 132 and, ifapplicable, data from or representative of data from address lines 131indicating what type of sensor and thus what type of parameter is beingreported from the system 100. The data path of the address lines tomicroprocessor 141 and ultimately external receiver 160 is shown in FIG.7 .

The microprocessor 141 together with an operating system and memoryoperate to execute computer code and produce and use data. The computercode and data may reside on RAM, ROM, or a hard disk drive. An interfacecard or similar device or circuitry and appropriate software implementedby the microprocessor 141 can be utilized to connect the system 100 toan existing network and transfer data according to standard protocols. Anetwork as used and referenced herein may comprise the system and anexternal receiver, or may be more extensive, including multipleenclosures and receivers.

E. OPERATION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In use, various types of sensors 132 can be used with the system, asnoted above, with their function and characteristics being indicatableor dictated by address lines 131. The address lines 131 may behard-wired within the second connector 120, with voltage levels on anynumber of conductor elements being used as addresses that indicate thesensor type that is mated or coupled to the second connector 120. As aspecific example, a low voltage (i.e., logic low) may be applied to anumber of conductor elements 122 of the second connector 120 through anegative connection from the battery 150 or circuitry within the sealedenclosure 101. Further, a high voltage (i.e., logic high), such asbattery voltage from the positive connection from the battery 150 may beapplied to other pins. Thus, through selective application of voltagelevels to various conductor elements 122 of the second connector 120, aunique address indication is provided through the first connector 110 tothe electrical component 140, and to microprocessor 141 or any othercircuitry that can use the address information to process the signal ordata from sensor 132.

As is known, the address provided by second connector 120 may be inbinary or BCD format, or any other usable format capable of uniquelyidentifying multiple parameters associated with sensor assembly 130,sensor 132, etc. This scheme allows a circuit or component, such asmicroprocessor 141, to use data or program information associated withthe correct sensor type as indicated by the address. For example, if athermocouple is plugged into the sealed enclosure 101, the address willindicate that, in addition to what type of thermocouple is connected(e.g., type K, T, etc.) and the microprocessor 141 or electricalcomponent 140 can process the thermocouple voltage according to standardvalues to calculate the temperature read by sensor 132. For example, inone possible connection configuration (for example, all of the addresspins connected to ground), this connection may correspond to thetransducer or sensor being a thermistor. Upon power up, the electricalcomponent 140 within the sealed enclosure 101 will determine theconnections on the address pins to all be grounded, recognize thisconfiguration to be a temperature function, and broadcast the data astemperature. In a different configuration, where one of the address pins(perhaps the least significant digit as defined in the pin connections)is connected to the power supply pin while the remaining address pinsare connected to ground, the electrical component 140 will recognize theconnection pattern as corresponding to a relative humidity sensor andbroadcast the data as relative humidity.

Accordingly, use of the system 100 allows a user to only change theleast costly component, in this case, the sensor assembly 130 connectingto the sealed enclosure 101. The system can thus perform a wide range offunctions, from a grid powered temperature sensor to a battery-poweredhumidity sensor, with no changes to the electronics or sealed enclosure101, by only changing the external sensor assembly or even an integratedsensor/connector as described above, which is the easiest and leastexpensive component to change.

The transducer 132 on the cable 124 may be analog in its function (witha variable voltage, resistance, conductance, or current) or digital(with a one wire or multi wire communication protocol). Environmentalparameters that may be measured include, but are not limited to:

-   -   Temperature    -   Relative humidity    -   Air pressure    -   Contact pressure    -   Elapsed time    -   Position    -   Magnetic    -   Vibration    -   Gas concentrations, such as CO or CO₂    -   Turbidity    -   Wind    -   Altitude    -   Moisture    -   Liquid level

The system 100 will read the address pin connections, read the data ofthe transducer, and broadcast a data package wirelessly via acommunications link 147 that contains the transducer or sensor type andaddress. Any receiver that connects to the system 100 can decode theaddress pins based on the connection, and translate the correspondingtransducer data to a meaningful value.

The sensor data from sensor 132 may be processed entirely by electricalcomponent 140, and then be transmitted to an external receiver 160 viacommunication link 147, using antennas 145 and 162 as shown in FIGS. 5-7. Alternatively, the raw sensor data along with address informationsignifying the sensor/parameter type may be sent as just described forprocessing by receiver 160 or other parts of a system.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materialssimilar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in thepractice or testing of the sealed enclosure power control system,suitable methods and materials are described above. All patentapplications, patents, and printed publications cited herein areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, except for anydefinitions, subject matter disclaimers or disavowals, and except to theextent that the incorporated material is inconsistent with the expressdisclosure herein, in which case the language in this disclosurecontrols. The sealed enclosure power control system may be embodied inother specific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialattributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the presentembodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are forconvenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power control system, comprising: an enclosure;an electrical component within an interior space of the enclosure; afirst connector on the enclosure adapted to provide an electricalinterface to the electrical component, the first connector comprising atleast one first connector conductor element; a battery within theinterior space of the enclosure, the battery being electrically coupledto the at least one first connector conductor element; and a secondconnector, the second connector adapted to be removably connected to thefirst connector, the second connector comprising at least one secondconnector conductor element corresponding to the at least one firstconnector conductor element; wherein when the first connector and thesecond connector are connected together, an electrical power from thebattery is applied to the electrical component; wherein when the firstconnector and the second connector are not connected together, theelectrical power is not applied to the electrical component.
 2. Thepower control system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power is appliedfrom the battery to a first conductor element of the first connector,and is further routed through a first conductor element of the secondconnector to a second conductor element of the second connector suchthat the electrical power is applied to a corresponding second conductorelement of the first connector.
 3. The power control system of claim 1,wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of conductor elements,and wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of conductorelements.
 4. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the firstconnector comprises a means for applying the electrical power from thebattery to the electrical component when the first connector and thesecond connector are connected together.
 5. The power control system ofclaim 1, wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of conductorelements, and wherein the second connector comprises a plurality ofconductor elements, and wherein at least one of the plurality ofconductor elements of the first connector is used to identify a type ofsensor that provides a signal to the electrical component via the secondconnector and the first connector.
 6. The power control system of claim1, wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of conductorelements, and wherein the second connector comprises a plurality ofconductor elements, and wherein at least one of the plurality ofconductor elements of the first connector receives a signal from asensor that is connected to the second connector.
 7. The power controlsystem of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of conductorelements of the second connector is used to provide to the electricalcomponent via the first connector, an identification of a type of sensorthat is coupled to the second connector.
 8. The power control system ofclaim 7, wherein the electrical component comprises a microprocessor anda non-transitory computer readable recordable medium containing one ormore programs executable by the microprocessor which when executedimplement the steps of: receiving the identification of the type ofsensor that is coupled to the second connector; receiving a signal froma sensor that is coupled to the second connector; and transmitting thetype of sensor and a data value that represents the signal to anexternal receiver.
 9. The power control system of claim 8, wherein theone or more programs when executed further implements the step ofdetermining the data value from the signal based on the type of sensor.10. The power control system of claim 8, wherein the electrical power isprovided to the microprocessor and the non-transitory computer readablerecordable medium when the first connector and the second connector areconnected together.
 11. A method of using the power control system ofclaim 1, comprising the steps of: providing the electrical power to theelectrical component by connecting the first connector to the secondconnector; providing a signal from a sensor having a type of sensor tothe first connector via the second connector; generating, in theelectrical component, a data value corresponding to the signal; andtransmitting the data value to an external receiver.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein generating the data value comprises using a type ofsensor determined by an address value on at least one second connectorconductor element.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstconnector comprises a plurality of first connector conductor elements,and wherein the second connector comprises a plurality of secondconnector conductor elements, and wherein the type of sensor isindicated by an address value on the plurality of second connectorconductor elements.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein a sensor iscoupled to the second connector such that the signal from the sensor isprovided to the first connector from the second connector when the firstconnector and the second connector are connected together.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the electrical power is applied from thebattery to a first conductor element of the first connector, and isfurther routed through a first conductor element of the second connectorto a second conductor element of the second connector, such that theelectrical power is applied to a corresponding second conductor elementof the first connector.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstconnector comprises a means for applying the electrical power from thebattery to the electrical component when the first connector and thesecond connector are connected together.
 17. A power control system,comprising: an enclosure; an electrical component within an interiorspace of the enclosure; a first connector on the enclosure adapted toprovide an electrical interface to the electrical component, the firstconnector comprising a plurality of conductor elements; a battery withinthe interior space of the enclosure, the battery being electricallycoupled to a first conductor element of the first connector; and asecond connector, the second connector adapted to be removably connectedto the first connector, the second connector comprising a plurality ofconductor elements corresponding to the plurality of conductor elementsof the first connector; wherein when the first connector and the secondconnector are connected together, an electrical power is applied fromthe battery to the first conductor element of the first connector, andis further routed through a first conductor element of the secondconnector to a second conductor element of the second connector suchthat the electrical power is applied to a corresponding second conductorelement of the first connector and is also applied to the electricalcomponent; wherein when the first connector and the second connector arenot connected together, the electrical power is not applied to theelectrical component; wherein at least one of the plurality of conductorelements of the first connector is used to identify a type of sensorthat provides a signal to the electrical component via the secondconnector and the first connector.
 18. The power control system of claim17, wherein the electrical component comprises a microprocessor and anon-transitory computer readable recordable medium containing one ormore programs executable by the microprocessor which when executedimplement the steps of: receiving an identification of the type ofsensor that is coupled to the second connector; receiving a signal froma sensor that is coupled to the second connector; and transmitting thetype of sensor and a data value that represents the signal to anexternal receiver.
 19. The power control system of claim 18, wherein theone or more programs when executed further implements the step ofdetermining the data value from the signal based on the type of sensor.20. A power control system, comprising: an enclosure; an electricalcomponent within an interior space of the enclosure; a first connectoron the enclosure adapted to provide an electrical interface to theelectrical component, the first connector comprising a plurality ofconductor elements; a battery within the interior space of theenclosure, the battery being electrically coupled to a first conductorelement of the first connector; and a second connector, the secondconnector adapted to be removably connected to the first connector, thesecond connector comprising a plurality of conductor elementscorresponding to the plurality of conductor elements of the firstconnector such that each conductor element of the plurality of conductorelements of the first connector is conductively coupled to acorresponding conductor element of the plurality of conductor elementsof the second connector when the first connector and the secondconnector are connected together; and a sensor coupled to the secondconnector such that at least one of the plurality of conductor elementsof the second connector receives a signal from the sensor; wherein whenthe first connector and the second connector are connected together, anelectrical power is applied from the battery to a first conductorelement of the first connector, and is further routed through acorresponding first conductor element of the second connector that iscoupled to a second conductor element of the second connector such thatthe electrical power is applied to a second conductor element of thefirst connector corresponding to the second conductor element of thesecond connector, and wherein the electrical power is also applied tothe electrical component; wherein when the first connector and thesecond connector are not connected together, the electrical power is notapplied to the electrical component; wherein when the first connectorand the second connector are connected together, the signal is suppliedto the electrical component via a conductive element of the firstconnector; wherein at least one of the plurality of conductor elementsof the first connector is used to identify a type of sensor thatprovides a signal to the electrical component via the second connectorand the first connector.